Electric-railway system



No. 749,042. PATE-NTED JANL5, 1904.

W. M. EADER;

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. A

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903. no MODEL. 1 ssaBnTs-gnnm'l.

'PATBNTED JAN. 5, 1904.1. W.M. EADER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903.

I 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2-- NO MODEL.

wqlforgz ys No. 749,042. PATENTED JAN. 5; 1904.

W. M. BADER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILE]; JULY 2'], 1903. y

no MODEL. I a'sHnBTs-sHEET s. I nn '1 l Y um- Z 1 III 3 2 l I tur 7F" 0?a y 0'4 J? J1?- /\J4 Jj 6 l A /V Z5 Z5 60 20 2% J1 0 0 30 I 53 31 i 6! IUNITED STATES Fatented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,042, dated January5, 1904.

Application filed July 27,1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. EADER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mid dletown, in the county of Frederick and State ofMaryland, have invented a newand useful Electric-Railway System, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in electric-railwaysystems of that general class in which a third rail is used forsupplyingcurrent to the car-motor, one of the traffic-rails beingutilized as a return-conductor to the central station.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a current-collectingdevice by which perfect contact with the third rail or currentconductorwill be insured at all times; and a further object is to provide animproved form of third rail the sections of which are so arranged atcrossings and switch-points as to permit the current-collector to leaveone sec-- tion of the rail and to readily engage a second section whilethe car travels under previously-acquired momentum from one section tothe other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter in which all of the parts shall be of standard size and shape,so that they may be readily interchanged should any one part become wornor broken.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof support for the current-collector that will permit of verticaladjustment of the collector with respect to the height of the car-truckand which will permit a ready detachment of the collector should itbecome necessary to examine or repair the same.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it beingunderstood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minordetails of construction may he made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectionalelevation of a portion construction of the third rail.

Serial rt. 167,201. (No model.)

I of the third-rail system, illustrating the condoctor and its supportsand showing a current-collecting device arranged and constructed inaccordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of thecurrentcollector. Fig. 3 is a face View of the currentcollector detachedfrom its support. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation "of thecurrent-collector on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of one of the roller-guards detached. Fig. 6 isasimilar view of the support-bar of the currentcollector. Fig. 7 is anelevation showing the end portion of one of the conductors. Fig. '2' isan elevation of a slightly-modified Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1illustrating the application of the invention to an underground-conduitsystem. Fig. 9 isa plan view of a portion of the carrying device for thecurrent-collector, showing one of the wire-grooves. Fig. 10 is a detailsectional view of a form of trolleywheel which may be used in the placeof the wheels shown in Fig. 1 in order to remove ice from thecurrent-conductor. Figs. 11 and 12 are views of details.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention may be utilized in surface, elevated, orunderground systems, and in the drawings there is shown the thirdrailsupport in the form of a bracket 1, these brackets being disposed atsuitable intervals along the line of the roads and provided, prefboltand the opposite side of said third rail."

The third rail is preferably formed of a strip of non-conductingmaterial, such as wood, having a coating of waterproof material in orderto prevent saturation. This strip is provided on both its upper andlower edges with strips of copper or similar conducting material, asindicated at 10, and the strips are arranged continuously, except atcrossing-points, where other tracks would interfere with the third rail.At these points the metal strips are brought together, being bent overthe inclined end portions of the wooden strips and affording a gradualinclined surface in order to space the rollers of the current-collector,as shown in Fig. 7. In some cases the intermediate strip of wood may bedispensed with and the metallic bars connected together at intervals bybrackets, as indicated at 11 in Fig. 7".

15 indicates a channel-bar forming a part of a truck-frame and providedwith a pair of spaced and recessed lugs 16, that form the supports forthe removable current-collector. The current-collector comprises averticallydisposed frame 17, provided near each edge with a verticalslot 18, in which are spaced horizontal cross bars or pins 19, any oneof which may be received by the recessed lugs 16 in order to permit ofthe necessary vertical adjustment of the current-collector. As thecurrent-collectors will all be made of the same size, this verticaladjustment is necessary owing to the variation in the height of trucksin cars of ditferent manufacture.

Projecting from the outer face of the baseframe 17 are two sets of lugs20, between which are pivoted upper and lower rollercarrying levers 21,these levers being in the form of bell-cranks and the pivotal connectionbeing at the angle of the lever. To the end of the approximatelyhorizontal arm of each bell-crank lever is secured a bolt 22, forming ashaft or spindle for the reception of a concaved roller 23, formed ofconducting material and adapted to engage one of the metallic strips 10of the third rail. The approximately vertical arm of each bell-crankleveris provided with a slot 24, through which extends a bolt 25, thatis screwed into the base-plate 17 and locked into position by a jam-n ut26. Between the vertical arm of the lever and the head of the bolt is ametallic compression-spring 27, normally tending to force the verticalarm of the bell-crank lever inward and insure good contact between theroller 23 and the current-conducting strip. Excessive inward movement ofthe bell-crank levers is prevented by a lug or block 28, secured to thebase-plate and forming a stop for limiting the movement of thebell-crank levers and the rollers which they carry. As the rollers arethus held they may readily leave one section of the third rail and onpassing a second section will engage the inclined end of said secondsection and will be slightly separated thereby against the stress of thesprings 27.

To each of the bell-crank levers is secured a roller-guard of theconstruction best shown in Fig. 5. This guard has a pair of arms 31,disposed one on each side of the roller 23 and adapted to engage thethird rail in order to assist the contact of the rollers therewith whenpassing from one section of the third rail to another section, as shownin Fig. 7.

The main frame of the current-collector may be secured to the truck ofthe car, as already described; but it is preferred under ordinaryconditions to secure the carrying-bar to the journal-boxes of the truck,as shown in Fig. 1, as at this point there will be less tendency to avertical movement. The supporting-lugs 16 are preferably madedetachable, so that in the event of breakage they may be replacedwithout necessitating the employment of a whole bar.

In Fig. 8 is illustrated the application of the invention to anunderground-conduit system, in which designates an ordinary form ofconduit, and 51 the main frame of the current-collector. The frame 51 isconnected by bolts 52 to a base-plate 53, forming the bottom of aslot-bar 54, that is extended up above the surface of the ground andconnected to a suitable support on the car. The base-plate is providedwith insulated bushings 55, through which extend bolts 52 in order thatany grounding of the circuit through contact of the slot-bar with theconduit will be prevented.

When used in connection with underground conduits, the current-conductoris supported by transverse sills 57, each carrying a block 58, ofinsulating material, and each block has a vertical pin 59, adapted tofit in a suitable recess formed in the currentconductor 60. In thisinstance the currentconductor is formed of iron or steel, and afterbeing placed into position for the pins 59 small cotter-pins 61 areinserted through alining openings in the current-conductor and the pin.As an additional means of preventing displacement the lower surface ofthe current-conductor may be grooved to receive the upper portion of theinsulated block 58, as shown in Fig. 8.

The opposite edges of the current-conductor are arranged on arcuatelines struck from a common center, and the trolley-wheels are here shownas formed with peripheral corrugations for contact with the conductor,so that they may remove ice from the conductor during the cold weather.

The current conductor may be formed either of a continuous bar ofconducting material or the construction may be substantially the same asthat shown in Fig. 1, wherein conducting-strips are placed at oppositesides of a non-conducting body portion. In either case it is preferredto groove the intermediate portions of the conductor or its support andform drainage-openings 63 from the bottoms of the grooves in order toprevent the accumulation of water.

The current-conducting wire or wires are led down through suitableopenings formed in the slot-bar and extend through a groove IIO 64 inthe top of the body portion, the terminals of the wires being connectedto the body portion by bolts or binding-posts 65.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In anelectric railway, a third rail having sections. provided with taperingor inclined ends, a current-collector including a pair of spaced rollersfor engaging the opposite edges of curved rail, and means for holdingthe rollers in spaced relation after leaving a rail-section.

2. In an electric railway, a third rail formed of sections havinginclined or tapering ends, a pair of pivotally-mounted rollers, springstending to force the rollers toward each other, and means for preventingcontact between the rollers after leaving a rail-section.

3. In an electric railway, a third rail including sections havingtapering or inclined ends, a pair of contact-rollers for engagingvertical arms of thelevers, springs carried by the bolts and bearing onsaid arms, and a stoplfor engaging said verticalarms and therebylimiting inward movement of the same.

5. loan electric railway,a current-collector, including a base having apair of spaced slots, contact devices carried by the base, pins orbearings extending across the slots, and recessed lugs arranged on thecar or vehicle for receiving said pins or bearings.

6. In an electric railway,a current-collector including a base, a pairof spaced pivot-lugs carried by the base, bell-crank levers pivotedbetween said lugs, rollers mounted at the outer ends of said levers,springs engaging the inner ends of the levers and tending to move therollers toward each other, and guards extending in part over therollers, and provided with arms arranged on eachside of said rollers,substantially as specified.

7. In an electric railway, a third rail including a pair of alinedcontact-bars inclined toward each other and connected at the end of arail-section, and means for supporting said bars.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. EADER.

Witnesses:

E. E. PETTINGALL, LUTHER M. D; AHALT.

